1. Prólogo del Autor

Cuando el Señor, ante Sus discípulos, habla de la consumación del siglo, por lo cual se entiende el último período de la vida de la iglesia, al final de la predicción acerca de los sucesivos estados de la misma con respecto al amor y a la fe, dice así:

Luego... después de la aflicción de aquellos días el sol se oscurecerá y la luna no dará su lumbre, y las estrellas caerán del cielo y las potencias del cielo serán conmovidas, y entonces aparecerá la señal del Hijo del Hombre en el cielo y entonces lamentarán todas las tribus de la tierra, y verán al Hijo del Hombre venir en las nubes del cielo con potencia y grande gloria, y enviará sus ángeles con trompeta y magna voz, y juntará sus escogidos de los cuatro vientos, del extremo de los cielos hasta el extremo de ellos (Mateo 24:29-31).

Él que toma estas palabras en el sentido literal cree que todo cuanto expresan según la descripción en ese sentido se verificará en el postrer tiempo llamado el último juicio, es decir, no solamente que el sol y la luna se oscurecerán y que las estrellas caerán del cielo, así como que la señal del Señor aparecerá en el cielos y que verán a Él en las nubes y también a los ángeles con trompetas, sino que también según la predicción en otro lugar, el mundo visible entero perecerá y que luego aparecerá un nuevo cielo con una nueva tierra. En esta creencia está hoy día la mayor parte en la iglesia. Pero los que así creen no conocen los arcanos que están ocultos en cada detalle del Verbo; porque en cada detalle del Verbo hay un sentido interior, el cual no expresa cosas naturales y mundanas como las que se hallan en el sentido literal, sino espirituales y celestiales, y esto no tan sólo con respecto a la significación de una pluralidad de palabras, sino también con respecto a cada palabra en particular, porque el Verbo es compuesto de puras correspondencias, a fin de que haya sentido interior en cada detalle. La índole de este sentido se puede conocer por todo cuanto con respecto al mismo se ha dicho y manifestado en "Arcana Coelestia, " lo cual también puede verse en compendio en la explicación de "El Caballo Blanco, " del cual se habla en el Apocalipsis. Según este sentido deben entenderse las cosas que en el lugar arriba indicado dijo el Señor acerca de Su venida en las nubes del cielo. Allí, el "sol" que se oscurecerá significa el Señor con respecto al amor, la "luna" el Señor con respecto a la fe, las "estrellas" los conocimientos del bien y de la verdad o sea del amor y de la fe la "señal del Hijo del Hombre en el cielo" la aparición de la Divina verdad; las "tribus de la tierra, " que lamentarán, todo cuanto pertenece a la verdad y al bien o sea a la fe y al amor; " la venida del Señor en las nubes del cielo con potencia y gloria, " Su presencia en el Verbo y la revelación; por "nubes" se significa el sentido literal del Verbo, y por "gloria" el sentido interior del Verbo; por "ángeles con trompeta y potente voz" se significa el cielo de donde procede la Divina verdad. Por esto es evidente que por aquellas palabras del Señor se entiende que al final de la iglesia, cuando ya no quede amor alguno y por ello tampoco fe alguna, abrirá el Señor Su Verbo con respecto a su sentido interior, y revelará los arcanos del cielo. Los arcanos que en lo siguiente serán revelados se refieren al cielo y al infierno así como a la vida del hombre después de la muerte. El hombre de la iglesia hoy día apenas sabe cosa alguna acerca del cielo y del infierno, ni de su vida después de la muerte, por más que todas estas cosas se hallan consignadas en el Verbo; hasta hay muchos, nacidos dentro de la iglesia, que las niegan, diciendo en su corazón: "¿Quién ha venido de allí y las ha contado?" Con el fin, pues, de que semejante negación, la cual reina principalmente entre aquellos que tienen mucho de la sabiduría del mundo, no contamine y corrompa también a los de sencillo corazón y de sencilla fe, me ha sido otorgado estar con los ángeles, y hablar con ellos como hombre con hombre y así como ver las cosas que hay en el cielo y también las que hay en el infierno, y esto por espacio de trece años, siéndome ahora permitido referirlas por oídas y vistas, esperando que así la ignorancia será iluminada y la incredulidad disipada. La razón por la cual tal inmediata revelación tiene lugar actualmente es que esta revelación es lo que se entiende por "la venida del Señor."

8106. 'During the daytime in a pillar of cloud' means that when there was a state of enlightenment, this was moderated by a dimming of truth. This is clear from the meaning of 'during the daytime' or 'in the day' as in a state of enlightenment, for the times of day - morning, midday, evening, and night - correspond to degrees of enlightenment in the next life, that is, of intelligence and wisdom, 5672, 5962, 6110, so that 'the day' is a state of enlightenment or clear perception, and 'the night' a state of unenlightenment or dimmed perception, 7680; and from the meaning of 'cloud' as a dimming of truth, since a cloud takes away the brilliance of the light from the sun and also moderates it.

[2] Various places in the Word say that Jehovah appeared in a cloud, that He was clothed with a cloud, or that 'clouds were under His feet'. In those places 'cloud' is used to mean a dimming of truth; in particular the literal sense of the Word is meant, for in comparison with the internal sense the literal sense is a dimmed presentation of truth, see the Preface to Genesis 18, and also 4391, 5922, 6343, 6752. This was meant by 'the cloud' when the Lord appeared in glory to Peter, James, and John, Luke 9:34; when He appeared to the people from Mount Sinai, and to Moses when he went in to Him there, Exodus 19:9; 20:21; 24:15-18; 34:5. The same was also meant by what the Lord declared so many times, that He would come in the clouds of heaven, Matthew 24:30; 26:63-64; Mark 13:26; 14:61-62; Luke 21:27.

[3] The literal sense of the Word is called 'a cloud' because the internal sense, which is called 'the glory', cannot be understood by anyone unless he has been regenerated and therefore enlightened. If the internal sense of the Word, or God's truth in its glory, were to appear in front of someone who has not been regenerated it would be like thick darkness in which he would see absolutely nothing, and also would leave him blind, that is, with no belief at all.

From all this one may see what the description 'a cloud during the daytime' means, namely a dimming of truth and, when it has reference to the Word, the literal sense.

[4] The expressions 'in a pillar of cloud' and 'in a pillar of fire' are used because 'a pillar' means a load-bearing support, as in Jeremiah 1:18; Psalms 75:3; Revelation 3:12; Job 9:6; and it is used to refer to the natural level, since the natural level is a kind of support or pedestal for the spiritual level. For the spiritual level terminates at the natural level and rests on it. This explains why the feet of an angel coming down from heaven looked like pillars of fire, Revelation 10:1; for the natural level is meant by 'feet', 2162, 3147, 3761, 3986, 4280, 4938-4952, 5327, 5328.

4391. 'And made booths for his cattle' means a similar increase in good and truth at that time. This is clear from the meaning of 'cattle' as goods and truths in general, and from the meaning of 'making booths', which are tents, as something similar to what is meant by 'building a house', namely receiving an increase of good from truth. The two phrases differ in that 'building a house' means that which is less general, and so rather more internal, while 'making booths', or tents, means that which is more general, and so rather more external. The house was intended for themselves, that is to say, for Jacob, his womenfolk and children, the booths for the servants, flocks and herds. In the Word 'booths' or tents, strictly speaking, means the holiness of truth, and they are distinguished from tabernacles, which too are called tents, by the fact that the latter mean the holiness of good, 414, 1102, 2145, 2152, 4128. The word in the original language for booths is 'succoth', whereas that for tabernacles is 'ohalim'. The holiness of truth is the good which springs from truth.

[2] This meaning carried by the booths or tents called 'succoth' is further evident from the following places in the Word: In David,

Jehovah God rode on a cherub, and flew, and was borne on the wings of the wind. He made darkness His hiding-place, and His surroundings His tent - darkness of waters, clouds of the heavens. Psalms 18:10-11.

And elsewhere,

He bowed the heavens when He came down, and thick darkness was under His feet. And He rode on a cherub, and new, and was borne on the wings of the wind. And He made tents of darkness around Him, clusters of water, clouds of the heavens. 2 Samuel 22:10-12.

This refers to Divine revelation, or the Word. 'Bowing the heavens when He came down' stands for hiding the interior truths of the Word. 'Thick darkness under His feet' stands for the fact that compared with interior truths, those visible to man are like darkness, the literal sense of the Word being of such a nature. 'Riding on a cherub' stands for the fact that it was provided in this way. 'Making tents of the darkness around Him' or 'making His surroundings His tent' stands for the holiness of truth concealed in its hiding-place, that is to say, inwardly - within the literal sense. 'Clusters of waters and clouds of the heavens' means the Word in the letter. Regarding 'clouds of the heavens' meaning the Word in the letter, see Preface to Chapter 18 of Genesis, and 4060.

[3] The same is meant by the following in Isaiah,

Jehovah will create over every habitation of mount Zion, and over her assemblies, a cloud by day, and smoke and the shining of a flaming fire by night; for over all the glory there will be a covering. And there will be a tent for shade by day, and for a refuge and hiding-place from deluge and rain. Isaiah 4:5-6.

Here again 'cloud' means the literal sense of the Word and 'the glory' the internal sense, as they do in Matthew 24:30; Mark 13:26; Luke 21:27. Again also 'a tent' stands for the holiness of truth. Interior truths are said to be in a hiding-place for the reason that if they had been revealed they would have been made profane, see 3398, 3399, 4289, a point that is also expressed in the following words in David,

In the hiding-place of Your face You conceal them from the treacherous plans of man; You hide them in a tent from the strife of tongues. Psalms 31:20.

[4] The fact that 'a tent' means the holiness of truth is also evident in Amos,

On that day I will raise up the tent of David that is fallen down, and I will close up the breaches, and I will raise up its destroyed places, and I will build it as in the days of old. Amos 9:11.

'Raising up the tent of David that is fallen down' stands for reestablishing the holiness of truth after it has perished. 'David' stands for the Lord as regards Divine Truth, 1888, since 'a king' means Divine Truth, 2015, 2069, 3009. Because 'tent' meant the holiness of truth and 'dwelling in tents' means worship that was the product of this, the feast of tents, called the feast of tabernacles, was established in the Jewish and Israelitish Church, Leviticus 23:34, 42-43; Deuteronomy 16:13, 16, where also that feast is called the feast of succoth, or of tents.